Some GOP Leaders are Calling for Texas Secession… Again

Just in case y’all thought we were done with this topic, the Texas secession movement may be gaining steam again.

The Houston Chroniclereports The Texas Nationalist Movement, a secessionist group out of Nederland, claimed that 22 counties (out of 254) passed resolutions for Texas independence at their Republican primaries. The Chronicle reached out to the counties listed and received responses from 10, all of whom confirmed the report.

10 might not sound like a lot, but considering that only one county passed a similar resolution in 2012, the numbers are undeniably up. According to the Washington Post, there is even talk that secession may be debated at the Texas GOP convention in May.

Texas has a long and storied history of secessionist thought. From the battle for independence from Mexico to joining the Confederacy in the Civil War, the perception of the righteousness of Texan independence has long been stewing since, albeit in much smaller numbers.

The current secessionist movement has gained some ground from the misconception that Texas maintained the right to secede when it first joined the United States via the Tyler-Texas Treaty.

Legally, Texas does not have the right to secede. Texas was granted entry to the United States with the option to split into five separate states. If ever such a legal secession right had existed, it would certainly have perished in 1869 upon the landmark Supreme Court decision of Texas v. White, wherein it was decided that states do not have the right to unilaterally secede, and all legislative acts to the contrary within secessionist states were declared to be null.

Nonetheless, it may come up for debate at the Texas GOP convention. While most Republican leaders give little credence to the nationalist movement, if enough delegates vote to discuss it, it will be discussed, as parliamentary procedure dictates.